Families of attackers on policemen expelled from Chechnya

Family members of the participants in the attack on policemen on August 20 have left Shali under the pressure of law enforcers, local residents said. According to the estimates of the "Caucasian Knot", this is the sixth case during two years, when relatives of members of the underground and the people, whom the authorities labelled as militants, were forced to leave their homes.

All the attackers originated from families of the administration staff, teachers and medical workers, residents of Shali said.

"It's a huge shock for everyone. All the killed attackers were from well-off and rather wealthy families," said Khavazhi, a local resident.

Despite the condemnation of the practice of collective responsibility, practiced in Chechnya, by Russian President, the eviction of militants' families continues.

Most frequently those members of families of Chechen residents were expelled, whose involvement in the armed underground was confirmed by attackers' video appeals, by leadership of the IS, or by law enforcers.

However, at least in one case there was no documentary evidence of involvement in the underground of the people, whose relatives were expelled. In January 2017, Ramzan Kadyrov announced the detention in the village of Tsotsi-Yurt of suspects, who were preparing an attack on the settlement of Khankala. Among the detainees, there was a relative of Isa Muskiev, the murdered leader of the underground. As a result, the family of Makhma Muskiev was expelled from the village.